What Happened To The Washington Redskins’ Offense?

By Greg Bradshaw

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Once upon a time, the Washington Redskins’offense was a prolific unit that moved the ball up and down the field, seemingly at will. Those days are fading away fast, as Washington’s offense now chooses the worst possible times to display their inefficiency.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III has been inconsistent passing the ball all season long. Just when Redskins’ fans think he’s reverting to his 2012 NFLRookie of the Year form, he regresses with awful passes that are nowhere near his receivers. I’m sorry, but I need my quarterback to have some sort of accuracy. That’s something Griffin isn’t providing right now. If this continues, fans could grow tired of RG3 and call for reserve quarterback Kirk Cousins to become the starter.

That isn’t going to happen, nor should it happen. That’s because RG3 isn’t the only one to blame for Washington’s offensive struggles. The offensive line bears the brunt of the blame here. They play like they’re out to lunch. Right guard Kory Lichtensteiger is basically stealing money from the Redskins. During the Redskins’ Week 8 game with the Denver Broncos, Broncos’ lineman Terrance Knighton used Lichtensteiger as a revolving door on his way to hitting Griffin. Then again, the Redskins’ offensive line have been used collectively as revolving doors by opposing defensive linemen all season. An offensive line that consistently fails to execute routine run and pass blocking doesn’t deserve to play in the NFL.

Making matters worse, it appears that RG3 has forgotten how to exhibit ball control again. He threw two more interceptions and lost another fumble in the Redskins’ 45-21 Week 8 loss to the Broncos. Making matters worse, Knighton’s blow knocked RG3 out of the game with a left knee injury, putting an end to the misery. While it’s likely Griffin will be able to return for Washington’s Week 9 game at home against the San Diego Chargers, confidence is waning regarding how efficient he’ll be.

Not only is the passing game struggling, but the Redskins’ once efficient running game has regressed horribly. The holes that running back Alfred Morris used to run through are no longer there on a consistent basis. The offensive inconsistency leads to a lot of short drives that end in punts for Washington. That puts their defense in continuous precarious situations, where they have to defend short fields against their opponents. Scenarios like this could breed resentment and contempt for the offense, as it’s asking a lot of the Redskins’ defense to constantly defend short fields against opposing offenses.

At 2-5, the season looks lost for Washington. Despite playing in the awful NFC East, where no team is over .500, even the most ardent Redskins’ fan can’t have that much confidence in their offense right now. It looks like it’s going to be another long, frustrating NFL season for the Redskins’ faithful.